Assessing the clean development mechanism contribution to sustainable development in Mexico (2005-2010)

The dissertation explores the role of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an offset mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol (art. 12) that allows the crediting of emission reductions from Greenhouse Gas (GHG) abatement projects in developing countries, and its contribution to Sustainable Development (SD) in Mexico. One of the growing concerns about the performance of the CDM under current international negotiations for the post Kyoto regime (2012) deals with its weak capacity to deliver on its environmental and SD objectives in countries where it is implemented. Through a sustainability assessment, the thesis analizes if and how CDM projects in Mexico are fulfilling one of the main objectives for which it was created and to what extent during the period 2005-2010. The main argument of the thesis – besides the criticism about the efficiency and efficacy of the CDM itself- is that considering the extreme flexibility of SD criteria established by the Mexican government through the Designated National Authority (DNA), CDM proejcts have a relative impact on SD in some key dimensions such as environmental, economical, and to a lesser extent, social one. CDM relation with SD and its contribution in Mexico is however a complex topic to understand, partly due to the vague definition of SD adopted at country level and stakeholders positions towards the CDM itself.